Jim Wells County, Texas Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Jim Wells County, TX Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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C
Health Below averageLess healthy than 85% of counties in Texas
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 79% of counties in Texas
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 89% of counties in Texas
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Jim Wells County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 38,850 | 30,160,889 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 44.8 | 112.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.81% | 1.41% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 36.4 | 35.9 | 37.3 |
| Households | 13,279 | 10,982,153 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Jim Wells County declined by 5.0% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 38,850 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Jim Wells County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 22.6% of residents. That is 0.9 points below Texas as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 8,775 22.6% -0.9 pts
- Millennials 29–44 7,769 20.0% -2.9 pts
- Gen X 45–60 7,021 18.1% -1.4 pts
- Boomers 61–79 6,194 15.9% +2.7 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Texas, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 50.1% of the people living in Jim Wells County and men 49.9%.
- Women 50.1% Texas 50.1%
- Men 49.9% Texas 49.9%
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Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Jim Wells County
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Economy
Jim Wells County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Jim Wells County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $51,697 | $78,939 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 2.26% | 4.56% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.1% | 5.2% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Jim Wells County is about 35% lower than in Texas.
Housing
| Metric | Jim Wells County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $142,499 | $258,873 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $938 | $1,402 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 68.5% | 62.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Jim Wells County is about 12.7 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $938 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Jim Wells County spend about 35 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 147 hours, about 6.1 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Jim Wells County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 17.7 | 22.8 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 35.3 | 45.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 147 | 190 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,564 | $5,888 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 8.3% | 14.4% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,749 | 9,879 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 509 | 1,441 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Texas:
Loving County (3.2 min), King County (5.8 min), Terrell County (6.5 min).
Slowest:
Bandera County (38.6 min), San Jacinto County (35.9 min), Liberty County (33.6 min).
The average commute time in Jim Wells County is 18 minutes, shorter than the 23 minutes in Texas.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Jim Wells County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Jim Wells County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 13.6% | 29.3% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.90 | 2.69 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Texas:
Collin County (0.4), Travis County (0.4), Fort Bend County (0.4).
Lowest:
Kenedy County (0.0), Hudspeth County (0.1), La Salle County (0.1).
Health
Jim Wells County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Jim Wells County | Texas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 76.6 | 78.0 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 26.5% | 21.1% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 18.2% | 19.9% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Texas:
Collin County (0.8), Travis County (0.8), Denton County (0.8).
Lowest:
Starr County (0.7), Brooks County (0.7), Presidio County (0.7).
Jim Wells County, TX Compared With Nearby Counties
Jim Wells County, TX is the 3rd largest of the 4 counties compared here, 38,850 residents against a local median of 69,985. Jim Wells County, TX's median home price, at $142,499, runs 41% below the $242,279 typical of the counties around it.
Median household income tells the same story from another angle: $51,697 against a local median of $67,549, 23% below it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is median household income, and at 23% below the local median it puts Jim Wells County, TX at the weaker end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $98,009 on median home price, so Jim Wells County, TX sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Jim Wells County, TX has the 4th highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Wells County, TX | 38,850 | $51,697 #4/4 | $142,499 #4/4 | 17.7 min #2/4 |
| Kleberg County, TX | 30,579 | $62,665 | $314,516 | 13.2 min |
| Nueces County, TX | 351,782 | $67,549 | $242,279 | 18.1 min |
| San Patricio County, TX | 69,985 | $68,913 | $216,507 | 21.1 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Jim Wells County, Texas.
How many people live in Jim Wells County, Texas?
About 38,850 people live in Jim Wells County, Texas, in 13,279 households of 2.9 people on average. The median age is 36.4, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Jim Wells County, Texas mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Jim Wells County, Texas has 45 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 52% of the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Jim Wells County, Texas?
The median home costs 2.8 times the median household income ($142,499 against $51,697), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $938 a month takes about 22% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How common is a college degree in Jim Wells County, Texas?
13.6% of adults in Jim Wells County, Texas hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 7), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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